Why do we do it?

My girls rabbit was just making a right racket out on the balcony so I had to go out and have a right go at her (the rabbit, not my girl). A grown man scolding a rabbit <deleted>, how <deleted> ridiculous.

Why?

Whoops, I put this in the wrong bit of the forum. It was meant for bedlam.

Wibble

Cool

Somebody moved it out of general for me. Before I could be told that I was being detrimental to rabbits, that I should learn to speak rabbit better and that if I don't like rabbits I should go home.

Cheers

As no surprise to most of you here, I talk to animals all the time. It drives my friend, Michael, crazy when we go for walks together. Mike just keeps walking while I have a conversation with the critter: dogs, cats, geese, elephants, lizards and the occasional snake.

This cat successfully begged some of the chicken bits from my Kow Padt Gai.

Grumpy here was telling me I shouldn't hang around his property when his owner was home, but it was okay when the owner was away

usually he just sits by his gate and waits to get his ears scratched.

This little baby waits each day for me to give him a few bananas and some sugercane

This guy wasn't so friendly

But these guys were...

I talk to animals too Ian, I find they listen and understand. Our cat Lizzie was quite vocal and always ready to let me know what was up.

My dogs talk to everyone it seems tho!

I talk to animals too Ian, I find they listen and understand. Our cat Lizzie was quite vocal and always ready to let me know what was up.

My dogs talk to everyone it seems tho!

Animals are very clever. I've seen Rex Harrison talk to them in a very plummy accent and I've also seen Eddie Murphy talk to them in Jive. Clever little bleeders.

It's probably akin to the reason we talk to babies. An instinct to communicate, and perhaps even a vibe passed on if talking with sincerity (vibe or tone).

Of course, there is an education thing going on when we talk to babies....but really, does the actual vocabulary matter when the child is 1 week old?

"Hewow, how are woo....I'm going to tickle your tummy, yes I am, yes I am,....goo goo goo ga. Ooooh, nice burpies, there's a good boy, goo goo da da woo woo."

I talk to animals too Ian, I find they listen and understand. Our cat Lizzie was quite vocal and always ready to let me know what was up.

My dogs talk to everyone it seems tho!

Animals are very clever. I've seen Rex Harrison talk to them in a very plummy accent and I've also seen Eddie Murphy talk to them in Jive. Clever little bleeders.

Ahhh, but I've seen dogs that only understand Fijian or Hindi.

It's probably akin to the reason we talk to babies. An instinct to communicate, and perhaps even a vibe passed on if talking with sincerity (vibe or tone).

Of course, there is an education thing going on when we talk to babies....but really, does the actual vocabulary matter when the child is 1 week old?

"Hewow, how are woo....I'm going to tickle your tummy, yes I am, yes I am,....goo goo goo ga. Ooooh, nice burpies, there's a good boy, goo goo da da woo woo."

You have a natural talent there.

And yes, I talk to my dogs all the time, other critters in passing. Even the house tokay.

I talk to animals too Ian, I find they listen and understand. Our cat Lizzie was quite vocal and always ready to let me know what was up.

My dogs talk to everyone it seems tho!

Animals are very clever. I've seen Rex Harrison talk to them in a very plummy accent and I've also seen Eddie Murphy talk to them in Jive. Clever little bleeders.

Ahhh, but I've seen dogs that only understand Fijian or Hindi.

Retarded strain.......( probably thick French Poodles )

My dog Scruffy understood Thai, English and German.

And anyone who thinks animals don't understand words and language perhaps need to do a tad more research

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3794079.stm

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/03/animal-minds/virginia-morell-text

http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/researchers-prove-their-dog-understands-over-1000-words

http://www.cracked.com/article_19042_6-terrifying-ways-crows-are-way-smarter-than-you-think.html

My dog Scruffy understood Thai, English and German.

And anyone who thinks animals don't understand words and language perhaps need to do a tad more research

Yep, I had a little doggy years ago in the UK who was very smart and I told a friend of mine that she understood some English, I lived in a three story house at the time and I demonstrated this by saying "Downstairs" to her, she went downstairs and came back when I called her, I then said "Upstairs" she went up and came back when called.

He said that she didn't understand English, she could just hear the difference in the sound of the words, he couldn't answer when I asked him how he understood English then.

Both my dogs currently understand 'Bik Biks' 'Chicken Time' and a few others, one of them struggles with "Come Here" but I think that's an attitude problem.

If the rabbit could talk back, what would he be saying? According to some "translators" he might make a sailor blush:

French poodles are likely in their ancestry......come to that, anything is likely in their ancestry.

The actual breed is "village cur crossbred with feral-mongrel-pariah-dingo cross".

A rare breed indeed. So rare, the pedigree is unobtainable.

I could get a puppy for you....at a price.

I wonder if the rabbit could understand: "shut the <deleted> up or I'll put you in a <deleted> pie you noisy <deleted> ****"

I wonder if the rabbit could understand: "shut the <deleted> up or I'll put you in a <deleted> pie you noisy <deleted> ****"

Too many words in the sentence for that to be a Father Jack quote, but he was the first one I thought of that it might have been.

No disparagement meant, but Ian's post reads like a children's book. An interesting, educational book for 5 year olds.

I thought you did travel books, Ian. Perhaps you should consider diversifying?

I wonder if the rabbit could understand: "shut the <deleted> up or I'll put you in a <deleted> pie you noisy <deleted> ****"

Too many words in the sentence for that to be a Father Jack quote, but he was the first one I thought of that it might have been.

Father Jack refers to rabbits as "hairy Japanese bastards"

No disparagement meant, but Ian's post reads like a children's book. An interesting, educational book for 5 year olds.

I thought you did travel books, Ian. Perhaps you should consider diversifying?

I just write to the level of my audience, Harcourt. But, yes, there is a part of me that goes back to the picture books of pre-school.

You know...

See Spot

See Spot jump

See Spot play with cat

See cat kick the living shit out of Spot.

And you all make fun of me making fun of my cat??? Or loving him?

Sick puppies...

I see many talk to animals but it is the ones that expect a reply that make me smile

e.g.: Where did you take my shoe?

I see many talk to animals but it is the ones that expect a reply that make me smile

e.g.: Where did you take my shoe?

My cat understands english, french and spanish.

More than the f i can!!!

Tu va bien mon chou chou oui est ca va? petit bebe.

On va au lit. dadee dadee dada

Oh el gato muy bien en el cama donde vamos? en el camo, muy bien.

Beddy time - mummy lies here and you bugger where you want. Don^t start to stick your paw in my face and wake me up.

I am trying to sleep and pretending to sleep and the dam_n thing walks over my tickly bit on my waist and then snuffles around.

I have no sex life.

But i do laugh.

I see many talk to animals but it is the ones that expect a reply that make me smile

e.g.: Where did you take my shoe?

You'd be surprised.....

I always got the feeling with my cat Lizzie that she found my stupidity in understanding cat very frustrating when I didn't understand her responses.

I see many talk to animals but it is the ones that expect a reply that make me smile

e.g.: Where did you take my shoe?

You'd be surprised.....

I always got the feeling with my cat Lizzie that she found my stupidity in understanding cat very frustrating when I didn't understand her responses.

:lol:

They're far more clever than us - each animal has its own language, universal to the species; you never notice a Thai accent when the local soi dog barks, do you...

(Someone please hand me my hat...)

I wonder if the rabbit could understand: "shut the <deleted> up or I'll put you in a <deleted> pie you noisy <deleted> ****"

Too many words in the sentence for that to be a Father Jack quote, but he was the first one I thought of that it might have been.

Father Jack refers to rabbits as "hairy Japanese bastards"

#winning

/edit - only clip I could find:

I'm always amazed at what animals can understand. My friend, Nong has 4 soi dogs that just adopted her and everyone who hangs around her laundry. As I'm one of the gang, I also got adopted by the dogs. No matter what time I come home at night on my motorbike the dogs are there to greet me. They hear my motorbike long before I arrive at the shop. They come over for scratch on the ears and a pat and that is all they want. When we had a cold snap back in January, Nong took a shirt out of the laundry and put it on the dog to keep it warm. Now we are talking about a street dog who has been living in the open for 5 years and survived quite well. Michael and I almost died laughing at the performance. The poor street dog trusted Nong so much that he let it happen, but he sure didn't like it.. The poor pooch was so embarrassed he didn't know what to do. He was walking backward trying to get out of the shirt. I took a few video clips with my camera. Finally, Mike and I talked Nong into taking the shirt off the poor dog. There is no question that those Thai dogs understand what Nong is telling them in Thai.

And, as for those photos of the various critters I posted, I have a good story on every one of them. I just didn't think everyone wanted to hear them. They all seemed to understand what I was saying to them, or at least understood my body language far better than most humans would. I've talked to wild black bears from distances of less than 2 meters. And, i've done the same with venomous snakes. Wild creatures are very intuitive.

I love my cat and he loves me in his way.